It has long been recognized that greeting cards or like paper items which are intended to convey a message to a viewer have enhanced attention drawing characteristics if a part of the card "pops up" from the plane of the card upon opening. While the use of "pop-ups" is an effective attention gathering technique, normally the procedures for printing, constructing, and mailing pop-up cards have been complex and expensive enough so as to discourage their use for common mailings--that is, they are typically used only on special occasions (such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,995,388 and 4,867,480).
According to the present invention a method, mailer, and an intermediate for a mailer, are provided which facilitate the use of the concept of "pop-ups" with common mailings. One of the most important features of the present invention in order to allow it to accomplish this objective is the ability to make the pop-up mailing of a single sheet of 81/2.times.11 paper, or other standard size paper (e.g. A4). According to the invention it is also possible to variably print the sheet on a non-impact (typically laser) printer so as to customize the sheet and make it suitable as a business mailer, and the sheet itself is constructed into a mailer that does not require a separate envelope. Thus, according to the present invention a mailer is produced that is versatile, simple, and cost effective for common mailings.
The adhesive that is used in the practice of the method and construction of the mailer according to the present invention is a pressure sensitive non-tacky adhesive such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,128 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein), and such as sold commercially by Toppan Moore Co., Ltd. under the trade designation "TN-124". As used in the present specification and claims the term "pressure coadhesive" refers to a pressure sensitive non-tacky adhesive, such as shown in said U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,128, sheets with pressure coadhesive applied being imminently suited for use with laser or other heat-applying printers without the heat applied by the printer in fusing the toner causing the adhesive to become tacky.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of making a pop-up mailer from a quadrate single sheet of paper having a front face and a back face, longitudinal edges and transverse edges, is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Die cutting at least two pop-ups from the quadrate sheet of paper. (b) Forming a first fold line separating the two pop-ups from each other. (c) Applying pressure coadhesive to the front face of a portion of at least one of the pop-ups. (d) Applying pressure coadhesive to the front face adjacent at least one longitudinal edge. (e) Applying pressure coadhesive to the back face of the sheet adjacent at least one longitudinal and one transverse edge thereof. (f) Forming a second fold line perpendicular to the first fold line. (g) After steps (a)-(f), folding the sheet about one of the first and second fold lines to bring portions of the back face into contact with each other to form an intermediate. (h) After step (g), applying pressure to the intermediate to seal the intermediate. (i) After step (g), folding the sheet about the other of the first and second fold lines to bring the portions of the front face containing the at least two pop-ups into contact with each other. And (j) after step (i), applying pressure to the folded sheet to seal the front face portions into contact with each other, and the portions of the pop-ups with coadhesive to each other to produce a mailer.
The mailer produced according to the method described above is suitable for mailing as is--that is, postage may be applied directly to the mailer, and it may be mailed, without the need for inserting it into an envelope. Typically, the pressure applying process for sealing the adhesives is a consecutive process, with step (i) practiced after step (h), although under some circumstances steps (g) and (i) may first be practiced and then steps (h) and (j) practiced at the same time (e.g. by a single pass through a pressure sealer, such as available from Moore Business Forms of Lake Forest, Ill. under the trademark "SpeediSealer", and such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,828, 5,169,489 and 5,183,527.
Utilizing the technique set forth above, a mailer is formed in much the same way that standard business forms with pressure coadhesive are formed, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,493 and 5,201,464 (the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein).
Step (a) may be practiced before steps (b) through (f). Where step (a)--the die cutting--is practiced early in the processing, it is desirable to apply adhesive (such as pressure coadhesive) around the die cut edges to assist in maintaining the pop-ups within the plane defined by the paper sheet during the practice of subsequent steps. The adhesive bond so provided is not secure enough to prevent pop-ups from popping out of the plane of the paper when the final mailer is opened. Alteratively, instead of using adhesive around the die cuts, small paper ties may be provided at the die cut edges during the die cutting process.
The method also preferably comprises the further step (k) of non-impact imaging (typically with a laser printer) the front face of the sheet with variable indicia prior to the practice of step (g), and most desirably the still further step (l) of non-impact imaging the pop-ups on the back face of the sheet, human readable indicia being provided in both imaging steps. The sheet of paper is typically an 81/2.times.11 or A4 sheet, such as an optical character reader (OCR) quality, having a weight of at least 20 pounds per 1000 sheet ream (typically 24 pounds).
The method may also comprise the further step of forming perf lines adjacent, but spaced from, the longitudinal edges. In this case step (b) is practiced to apply pressure coadhesive between the perf lines and the longitudinal edges, and step (f) is practiced by applying the second fold line parallel to the transverse edges and essentially bisecting the longitudinal edges, and step (g) is practiced by folding about the second fold line and step (i) by folding about the first fold line.
According to another aspect of the present invention a mailer per se is provided. The mailer comprises the following elements: A first ply having an outer face and an inner face. A second ply having first and second faces, the first face in face-to-face engagement with the inner face of the first ply. First human readable indicia on the first ply outer face. A first pattern of pressure coadhesive holding the first ply inner face to the second ply first face. The second ply having first and second panels separated by a fold line. Second human readable indicia on at least one of the panels of the second ply second face. A first pop-up formed in the first panel and a second pop-up formed in the second panel, each pop-up having a base integral with the first and second panels, respectively. A second pattern of pressure coadhesive holding portions of the first and second pop-ups together at an area spaced from the bases of each. And a third pattern of pressure coadhesive releasably holding the first panel second face to the second panel second face.
Typically the mailer first and second plies are integral along an edge thereof, the mailer formed from the single sheet of paper such as paper having a weight of at least about 20 pounds per 1000 sheet ream. Also perforation lines may be provided in the first and second plies adjacent, but spaced from, edges thereof parallel to the fold line, and the third pattern of pressure coadhesive is between these edges and the perforation lines. A predetermined postage application area may be provided on the first ply outer face, and a fold assist perf may be provided in at least one of the pop-ups, and at the pop-up bases, to facilitate proper movement of the pop-up into desired pop-up configuration when the mailer is opened.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention an intermediate for a mailer is provided, the intermediate comprising: A single quadrate sheet of paper having longitudinal edges, transverse edges perpendicular to the longitudinal edges, a front face, and a back face. A first fold line parallel to the longitudinal edges and essentially bisecting the transverse edges. A second fold line parallel to the transverse edges and essentially bisecting the longitudinal edges. A first pattern of pressure coadhesive on the back face including adjacent at least one of the longitudinal edges and adjacent at least one of the transverse edges. At least first and second die cut pop-ups formed on aligned on opposite sides of one of the fold lines, each having a base integral with the sheet. A second pattern of pressure coadhesive on at least one of the first and second pop-ups remote from the base thereof. Human readable indicia on the front face, and on the back face of at least one of the pop-ups. And a third pattern of pressure coadhesive on the front face adjacent at least one of the longitudinal or transverse edges.
The single sheet of quadrate paper typically comprises an approximately 81/2.times.11 inch or A4 sheet having a weight of at least 20 pounds per a 1000 pound sheet ream, but less than greeting card weight. The first and third patterns of pressure coadhesive are preferably adjacent and parallel to longitudinal edges of the sheet, and pop-ups are on opposite sides of the first fold line; and perforation lines are provided parallel to the longitudinal edges on the opposite side of the first and third patterns of pressure coadhesive from the longitudinal edges.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method of making a pop-up mailer from a quadrate single sheet of paper having a front face and a back face, longitudinal edges and transverse edges, is provided comprising the steps of: (a) Die cutting at least two pop-ups from the quadrate sheet of paper. (b) Forming a first fold line separating the two pop-ups from each other. (c) Applying adhesive to the front face of a portion of at least one of the pop-ups. (d) Applying adhesive to the front face adjacent at least one longitudinal edge. (e) Applying adhesive to the back face of the sheet adjacent at least one longitudinal and one transverse edge thereof. (f) Forming a second fold line perpendicular to the first fold line. (g) Applying adhesive around the die cuts produced in the practice of step (a) to assist in maintaining the pop-ups within the plane defined by the paper sheet during the practice of subsequent steps. (h) Folding the sheet about the first and second fold lines; and (i) sealing the adhesive to produce a mailer. After step (i) postage is applied directly to the mailer, and it is mailed, no envelope being required.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a method of production of the mailer, an intermediate for a mailer, and a mailer which can be simply, easily, and cost effectively produced and mailed, so that it is suitable for common mailings, and is not merely restricted to special occasions. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.